Pele has claimed that Neymar cannot replace him as Brazil’s greatest footballer.
The former Santos player won the FIFA World Cup three times and scored more than 1,000 during his playing days.
In the past, Ronaldo (who scored 62 times for Selecao) and Romario were backed to surpass Pele’s 77-goal tally for Brazil. When asked if Neymar could be the one who breaks the record, Pele replied: “I think not.
“I think to be the new king, the new Pele, is impossible. Because my mother and my father closed the machine. I think he’s a good player, an excellent young player and he’s going to be a big star, no doubt.”
Pele also insisted he would have still been a major player in the modern game, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“If you ask, would Beethoven be important now? Of course,” he said.
“If I was in this moment and prepared to play in this moment. The thing people forget is I was given a gift to play football, this is something no-one can judge.”
He also revealed his disappointment at his country failing to win the two World Cups hosted on its soil. Last year, Germany sent them packing after a 7-1 hammering.
“I didn’t think – I cried,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate that the two World Cups played in Brazil, in 1950 when I was nine years old, we lost. And now we lost again. This is something no one can explain.”
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